Smiles in The Sunday Times

Dear Matthew

A couple of weeks ago you were featured in The Sunday Times' baby section (see below). Your nanna works there and had asked for us to put you forward, which I was very happy to do given we never got around to doing a formal birth announcement in the paper (these days Facebook seems to suffice!). 

I have put an original copy in your baby book for safe keeping. 

Your cousin Harrison was also featured below your photo and a little info about you being due on the same date was included, which was nice. 

You're such a cute baby :)

Love, 

Mum xxx

Five months old and we're applying for high school

Dear Matthew

A couple of weeks ago your dad and I thought we better get our butts into gear and head to the primary school we'd like you to attend to pick up an application. We want you to attend Yidarra, with the intention of continuing onto Corpus Christi Collage which sits on the same site. We have chosen these schools because they're Catholic, co-ed and not (we hope) filled with rich, spoilt kids, but well rounded, caring kids of both sexes. We hope you like our decision and that you enjoy school for the friendships and fun you will have (while hopefully learning a bit along the way). 

Good thing we did too, as interviews with the principal take place when you're two, and we need a good reference from the parish priest so we've become regular church goers since then!

You seem to like going to church, as there's a lot happening, plenty of people to watch and music to listen to. I'm so happy you were baptised at St Thomas More, it is a lovely community and luckily, just up the road!

Anyway, after stopping by Yidarra we walked down to Corpus Christi College and met with the registrar, who said she amazingly already had a 2026 folder (this will be the year you start year seven) and wasn't surprised we were stopping in to pick up forms. Five months old and we're applying for high school, it's crazy! 

Love, 

Mum xxx

Toothy pegs

Dear Matthew

Today, you bit me, and there was a sharpness to it! After trying to look at your bottom gums for about ten minutes (you kept poking your tongue out) I finally spotted your first tooth!

It is on your bottom jaw, in the middle on the left. There's barely a millimetre above the gums but its there! 

Gramps came over in the afternoon and spotted it too. Luckily he was here at your bedtime as he helped me give you Panadol for the pain and rocked you to sleep!

While I'm excited, I'm going to miss your gorgeous gummy smile! 

Thanks for being brave while your teeth decide to pop through, you're truly the best, and you're teaching your mum a thing or two about resilience!

Love, 

Mum xxx

A taste of curry

Dear Matthew

Last night while I was holding you with one arm and eating curry with the other, you tried to eat the curry off my spoon as I was moving it from the bowl to my mouth! I was shocked and amused!

This signals the start of you almost being ready for solid foods! For almost 5 months now my breast milk has been your only food source, but that is soon to change!

It's funny how, when I first started breast feeding you, I was literally counting down the weeks till you weren't chained to me. Now, with 5 weeks till your 6 month half-birthday, I feel it's just another thing that's taking my baby away from me! Never mind, my job is to make you independent, and eating food is a massive part of that!

Plus now your dad can help with feeds!

Here you are about a month ago, trying out your awesome Ikea high chair (apparently its the best, luckily it's also the cheapest!). Soon you'll be drinking out of those cups! More updates to follow when we give you your first tasting around Easter (sorry, no chocolate this year!). 

And if I haven't said it recently, know that I love you very very much. You are the reason my heart beats. 

Love, 

Mum xxx

The Family Cot

Dear Matthew

Recently you have been lucky enough to sleep in the Haynes family cot. 

This is the cot that your Grandma and all of her brothers and sisters slept in as babies (Uncle John was the first at over 66 years ago). 

I put the below photo of you on Facebook and asked family members around the globe to comment as to who has slept in the cot. 

At our last count, you made 24. 

24 babies! What a specialty tradition you have been part of. 

You had your first sleep over in it last Saturday at Grandma and Gramps' house. This was also the first time we had left you for more than about twenty minutes.  You were very well behaved, thank goodness. We are going to try and leave you with family members regularly so that the transition to day care is easier later in the year, however some separation anxiety is of course expected (from both parties!). 

As an aside- I love your smile. It is the most addictive thing I have ever experienced.

Love, 

Mum xxx

My little baby is growing up

Dear Matthew

Today you sat up by yourself for a good ten seconds, albeit very hunched over. 

While I am incredibly proud of you for doing this, I am no longer surprised by your continuous developments. 

I don't mean this in a bad way. What I mean is, you are growing and learning each day and it is inevitable that you will be able to accomplish new things as time goes on. 

And in an odd way that makes me sad. Sad because I am losing my precious baby. 

I know that your milk breath will not last forever. The coos you make while sleeping are slowly disappearing. 

You are growing. Growing into a beautiful little boy. 

Every day I remind myself that you are on loan from the world for such a small amount of time. Time that seems to be passing so, so quickly. 

And so I breathe you in and thank God I get you for now.

Love, 

Mum xxx

The things you do

Dear Matthew

Have I told you how amazingly wonderful you are lately? Well, you are. I love how interactive you're becoming, each day is more and more fun. You're laughing and smiling all day long- such a pleasure to be around. 

Over the last four months there's a few things I've noticed that you do which are especially gorgeous, and wanted to write about them before I forget:

1. When you were teeny tiny and I would lie you on my chest, as you breathed you would make little 'ahhh' sounds. It would melt my heart each time. As you've grown older this isn't happening much at all, mainly because you're too big to lie on my chest, but when it does I treasure it, as I don't know when is going to be the last time I hear it.  I've tried to hold the sound in my head so that its impossible for me to forget it. 

2. When you sleep, you will often randomly smile. It is awesome. 

3.  When you sneeze, you scream beforehand (which freaks Soda out) and follow it will a little 'choo', so it's like 'AHHHHHHHHHH-cho'. It is the funniest thing ever. 

4.  Your laugh is infectious and is more like funny breathing than a giggle, as you sort of breath in sharply with a smile on your face. As you get bigger its becoming more of a little boys laugh. See my Facebook page from February 2014 for a video of it, it's the best. 

5.  When you're asleep on me after a feed, if I take a deep breath or sigh, you will often copy me in your sleep. This is magical, as it shows how in touch we are with each other. 

6.  Also after a feed, if you're in the process of waking up, you will do a big stretch backwards. This is hilarious and also very helpful as it lets me know when you're finished! See the photos below as examples!

7.  Your eyes bug out of your head when you're happy or just a bit shocked, like when I blow on our face. It's brilliant. 

I love you, you fabulous baby. 

Love, 

Mum xxx